Critics seem unsure whether Sense8 is a masterpiece, a disaster, or both. But it’s still a game-changer—pushing the limits of narrative, and testing genre fiction’s patriarchal worldview for weak points. And with a concept that revolves around empathy and personhood, it’s also a great Philip K. Dick tribute. »6/23/15 3:57pm 6/23/15 3:57pm

Winter hasn’t arrived yet on Game of Thrones, but there’s still a bit of “winter of our discontent” going on. Season five veered way off George R.R. Martin’s road, with shall we say mixed results. Here’s how to get Thrones back on its game. »6/18/15 5:00pm 6/18/15 5:00pm

Geeks been debating the use of rape as a storytelling device for years, but that debate has come back to the fore in the past couple days, for obvious reasons. Author John Scalzi (Lock-In) offers a useful perspective, based on a lesson he learned early on from a mentor.»5/19/15 5:50pm 5/19/15 5:50pm

The new movie Ex Machina has been pushing people’s buttons. It features a seemingly vulnerable robot named Ava, who’s as beautiful as she is mysterious. But Ava’s just the latest in a long line of artificial seductresses, girlfriends and mothers. Why are so many thinking machines female? »4/21/15 4:24pm 4/21/15 4:24pm

I was a happy child, but I didn't have such a happy childhood. Other kids didn't get my weird vibe, especially in elementary and middle school. And one year in particular, we moved to a new city and a new school, and things got ugly. Only one thing kept me from losing my shit: Star Blazers.»3/13/15 4:38pm 3/13/15 4:38pm

Twenty years ago today, Star Trek: Voyager premiered. Of the five live-action Star Trek series, Voyager is not the best. If you were ranking them, Voyager and Enterprise would probably duke it out for last place. But none of that matters, because Star Trek: Voyager meant everything to me as a child.»1/16/15 7:20am 1/16/15 7:20am

He used to be so cool and unpredictable. He would breeze into a complicated situation and make it simple through the razor-sharp power of his intellect. But lately, he's gotten dull and predictable, performing the same party trick over and over. The "smartest man in the room" is overexposed lately, and he needs a… »12/22/14 5:37pm 12/22/14 5:37pm

Sometimes it seems like every villain is obsessed with murdering the hero of the story. (Or making the hero realize they're alike.) But it's not true — in fact, some of the best villains have their own goals, and the hero just happens to get in the way. Here are some great villains whose schemes don't revolve around… »12/16/14 4:50pm 12/16/14 4:50pm

It never fails lately. We actually get a movie that's a new story, instead of a rehash or continuation of a venerable tale. And people immediately start piling on, pointing out all the stuff in it that's been done before. But just because something contains story elements we've seen before doesn't mean it can't be new. »12/08/14 4:02pm 12/08/14 4:02pm

For anyone who has followed the film and television business in the last few years, they know one thing is true: mega-franchises are king. Right now, every studio is looking for its own version of Marvel's universe. But Paramount has one sitting right under its nose, and it's called Star Trek.»10/07/14 3:54pm 10/07/14 3:54pm

We all talk about the Bechdel Test all the time, because it's so simple: Does a story have two women who talk to each other, about something other than a man? But almost every time it comes up, we all dismiss it, because it's too simple or too arbitrary. But actually, the Bechdel Test is more important than anyone… »6/04/14 4:25pm 6/04/14 4:25pm

I'd never played a Grand Theft Auto before. I mean, I understood the draw, but ever since I'd played Mafia, I felt no beckon to follow The Sopranos through an open-world Manhattan de-make. Wise guy this, blip-blap that. The whole rigamarole sounded like a chore, really. On top of that, my new girrrrrrrrlfriend and I… »9/15/13 10:30pm 9/15/13 10:30pm

Last year saw the glimmer of a movement to get a video game based on Sons of Anarchy, FX's biker gang series and a vicarious lifestyle fantasy for many viewers, one of them me. The possibility seemed to go no further than series creator Kurt Sutter's own hopes. »6/29/13 7:00pm 6/29/13 7:00pm

In line for Nintendo's booth, Terence Polk checked his smartphone and chitchatted about what he'd come to review. "Super Mario 3D World," he said, because he was skeptical—not because he was thrilled by what he'd seen in Nintendo's presentation. It was the second day of E3. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina. »6/12/13 10:15pm 6/12/13 10:15pm

A controller gets put down. A disc gets shelved next to dozens of others just like it. But, sometimes, the game lingers. It creeps into your sleep and live on in the backs of your eyelids, demanding ever more from you. »1/15/13 10:40am 1/15/13 10:40am